Where's the Macaroni?

I was recently in the Pathmark of Harlem supermarket and found an empty one-pound box of Creamette elbow macaroni on the shelf alongside full boxes. Actually, I shook the box and heard only one macaroni inside. The box (with a window so you can see the product) was sealed so it came from the factory that way. I watched the associate for a few minutes to see how long it would take him to discover the box. About three minutes later, he saw the box and tossed it in one of the empty cardboard boxes on his dolly. He continued to refill the shelf with boxes of macaroni.
It was the first time I'd seen an empty box of macaroni on a supermarket shelf. If I'd had a phone camera with me, I would have taken a picture of the box because it was such a novelty. It made me wonder how often that happens and how diligent Quality Control is at the manufacturer's end to prevent such an occurrence.
I've written to companies whenever there was a missing item in a windowless box like six coffee packets instead of seven and received a letter of apology and a coupon as compensation. But how does an empty macaroni box with a window leave the factory undetected?

New York Nightlife Is Not Heterocentric

The front page story in the April 20, 2010 issue of amNewYork and Metro New York was the same--New York is a guy's town. Both papers had clever headlines: "Men-hattan" (amNewYork) and "Dude, NYC Is the Place to Be"(Metro). (If there was a contest, amNew York's headline would be the winner.)
According to askmen.com's editor-in-chief, James Bassil, as reported in amNew York, "There's a huge range of opportunities there. Although it may not be the best place to meet a wife, it 's the best place to meet a lot of women."
Unfortunately, the findings published in both morning tabloids were heterocentric. Too bad they didn't include single gay men. The last time I looked, they were a part of the New York nightlife scene.

Two Website Recommendations

http://www.jeffreylillypresents.com and http://www.spinozablue.com are two websites that are worth checking out.

Blacks In Mexico, Part 2

The following link will take you to theroot.com website where part two of the article, "Mexico's Hidden Black History," appears.http://www.theroot.com/views/mexicos-hidden-black-history-part-two

A Note to My Chinese Commenters

I welcome comments from Chinese-language commenters to this blog, however I would appreciate it if you would post your comments in English so I can read them and not have to go to the trouble of asking someone to translate. I am thanking you in advance for your cooperation.

Blacks In Mexico

Check out this article by Morris Thompson http://www.theroot.com/views/mexicos-hidden-black-historyabout the black experience in Mexico that appeared on theroot.com. Black folks are indeed everywhere, even South of the Border!

A Life In Paris

Check out this interesting article from the root.com. http://www.theroot.com/views/life-paris

A Few Words From Patricia Nell Warren

"I've learned that the idea of a line between fiction and nonfiction is--well, fiction. Trying to separate them is a little like trying to separate two twins who are conjoined at the brain. They're two sides of the same coin. Every novel has its genesis in the writer's real-life experience in some way. Likewise, there is very little nonfiction that hasn't been fictionalized to at least a small degree--if only to shape and organize the material."-- Novelist Patricia Nell Warren, from online Q & A interview, http://www.lambdaliterary.org/.